Emily Kenny

Syracuse

Digital journalist at Spectrum News 1 Central NY

Corps Member at Report For America

Digital journalist for @SPECNews1CNY covering agriculture and food production • Iowa native

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Articles

Costs of summer cookout foods remain high, but New York is lower than average

2 days ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

As the Fourth of July approaches and families are planning to celebrate, the average cost of a cookout for 10 people in New York is $58.91, the American Farm Bureau says. A national survey of the price of food items typically used during summer cookouts found that the average gathering will cost $70.92 for 10 guests. However, New York is roughly 20% lower than that.
State announces $1.7M for Syracuse to renovate Valley Plaza grocery store

4 days ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $10 million through the Food Access Expansion Grant program, and $1.7 million of it will go toward renovating the Valley Plaza grocery store in Syracuse. “Having access to fresh and healthy food is critical in every neighborhood in this city, and now an area with limited access will have a grocery store once again,” said Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh.
'No one feels safe’: Changes to immigration policy bring fear to farms

1 week ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

Quirino, a Guatemalan immigrant, spent more than a decade working long days caring for hundreds of cows on a dairy farm in upstate New York. Now, he worries about the day that ends amid a rollercoaster of immigration policy changes.
More dairy processing facilities expand in New York

1 week ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

A farmer-owned Cayuga County dairy processor celebrated Wednesday the opening of a $270 million facility in Auburn. The Cayuga Milk Ingredients facility will have 150 permanent jobs and focus on products like protein shakes, meal replacement drinks and other products that will be both shelf stable and have an extended shelf life, said CEO Brian Linney. “We’re doing this because the farmers wanted to diversify their customer base,” he said.
Sewage sludge moratorium doesn't get vote in New York Assembly

1 week ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

A bill that would have put a five-year moratorium on the use of sewage sludge on farmland did not pass the New York state Assembly before the end of this year’s legislative session despite bipartisan support early on. “If you look at the votes, you’ll see it was unanimous ‘yes,’ bipartisan, and then last minute, the same people who voted ‘yes’ all voted ‘no’ in the Rules Committee,” said state Assemblywoman Anna Kelles, a Democrat and sponsor of the bill.
Why New York’s first farmworker union deal is a win for seasonal workers

1 week ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

After nearly two years of negotiations, farmworkers at Cahoon Farms have New York’s first established union contract that covers both seasonal guest workers and year-round employees. Karim Nevins, a Jamaican H-2A worker who has come to Wolcott in Wayne County to work in apple orchards for the last three years, said the union contract saved his job. “When we came back to Jamaica, we realized that we were cut off from the program at Cahoon. Luckily, we signed the union.
N.Y. beef producers eye increase to marketing program for first time in decades

2 weeks ago | spectrumlocalnews.com | Emily Kenny

“Beef. It’s what’s for dinner:" The popular marketing campaign became a hit thanks to a mandated fee tacked onto each sale of cattle in U.S., but one that hasn’t seen an increase in four decades. As part of the 1985 farm bill, for every bovine animal sold in the U.S., $1 is collected for the Beef Checkoff Program. Of that, 50 cents stays in the state where the animal was sold, and 50 cents goes to the National Beef Checkoff Program.
State Senate passes bill for 5-year moratorium on the use of biosolids

2 weeks ago | spectrumlocalnews.com | Emily Kenny

The proposed bill that would put a five-year moratorium on the use of sewage sludge on farmland passed the New York state Senate on Thursday. For decades, spreading sludge — also known as biosolids – was seen as an acceptable practice to fertilize farm fields, but now residents nearby are experiencing contamination of their drinking wells by forever chemicals, or PFAS.
Steuben Co. town of Cameron passes local law banning the use of sewage sludge

2 weeks ago | spectrumlocalnews.com | Emily Kenny

In a unanimous vote Wednesday evening, the Steuben County town of Cameron passed a local law banning the use of sewage sludge on farm fields. “I’ve been wanting this level of town action for 39 years now,” said Wayne Wells, a resident of Cameron whose creek has been tainted by forever chemicals, which he believes came from the neighboring farm’s use of sewage sludge. During last month’s public hearing, no one in attendance spoke in opposition to the local law.
When severe weather happens, insurance brings headaches for New York farmers

2 weeks ago | spectrumlocalnews.com | Emily Kenny

After nearly a total loss of his potato crop last year, Steuben County farmer Mark Squires is hoping for a more successful season this year — and some changes to crop insurance. On Aug. 9, 2024, Squires was prepared to harvest his crop of potatoes but when Tropical Storm Debby passed through and washed out the culverts and dikes, everything changed. “In the morning at five o’clock, we had a beautiful crop but by that afternoon, everything was under about two feet of water,” Squires said.